Logan's Brain Surgery for Epilepsy Seizures
This is a first for me, I have never spoken publicly about the growing severity of my health condition and certainly never asked for financial help. Recently a chance meeting with a group of incredible people taught me that true strength sometimes means asking for help. I am humbly asking for help, and through the grace of God and endless prayers, that I am hopeful about the future of my health.
My name is Logan Lacher and I have Epilepsy. I am a 21-year-old Junior at San Diego State University. When I was 14 years old, I unfortunately became ill with Viral Meningeal Encephalitis, similar to West Nile Virus. After being released from the ICU and weeks of physical recovery, it sadly developed into onset Epilepsy that I’ve been battling ever since. The type of seizures I have are commonly known as Grand Mal, medically known as Tonic Clonic. They happen while sleeping and last from 3-6 minutes, sometimes longer. They occur every 2-5 weeks and the recovery phase can last from 1-7 days. There have been highs and lows on this long journey, and now it has come to a point that it is not controlled by medications and that my best option to be cured of seizures is through brain surgery.
As you can imagine the cost to have brain surgery is astronomical, and unfortunately my health insurance is unable to cover a portion of the total cost of the surgery. With the help of your support and much needed donation, I will be able to recover peacefully from this surgery. The donations will allow me and my loving family to focus on my healing without the burden of heavy stress from medical bills. If God willing, donations are received above the goal, they will go to help pay for my college instead of using student loans.
Right now I am finishing my first semester at San Diego State University as a Fowler College of Business Major in the Lavin Entrepreneurship Center program. I am working through college the best I can with my disability and knowing that this surgery is the next step in my journey with Epilepsy. Thanks to the incredible love, prayers and support system of my close friends and family, especially parents and grandparents, I have made it this far. If you would like to know more about my story feel free to read on.
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I was in great health up until the beginning of my Freshman year in High School when I contracted Viral Meningeal Encephalitis. At the time I was in all Honors, AP courses, and running cross country. The constant strain and stress on my body, from my demanding schedule, compromised my immune system and I developed flu like symptoms with a fever and a headache. After a couple days I was found by my parents in the morning in bed having a seizure. I had never had one in my life, this was the first and it was bad. It's called a Status Epilepticus Seizure, a seizure that doesn't stop. I was taken by ambulance to the ER and the only way to stop the seizure was by a medically induced coma. This is one week of my life that I have no memory of. I was released from ICU and returned home after nearly 2 weeks. I had physical and cognitive therapy for weeks and could not return to school for the rest of the fall semester, therefore receiving no credits for school.
After therapy ended, I did return to school for the spring semester of my freshman year. I had no credits from the prior semester and because of cognitive issues I could no longer take hard classes like I once did. I could only take 3 classes, half the amount of a regular student. A year passed and just as I thought my life was in balance, I had a breakthrough seizure out of the blue. This was devastating! The spring semester of sophomore year I had to complete at home because of my condition. We had a teacher come to my home with assignments and teach me at home. So I missed out on nearly all of the first 2 years of high school. It was really tough.
During this time I saw multiple natural health alternative people. We were following the advice of medical doctors and alternative medicine. I found out that I was most likely bitten by a mosquito carrying the virus on one of the dirt trails my coach had us run on. I was astonished at this revelation.
My neurologist performed test after test, scan after scan which all proved to be inconclusive while I continued to have seizures. I did return to school and dealt with the seizures. Each time I have one it takes a toll on my mind and body and takes a long time to recover. I went through high school like this until I switched doctors and took more tests. I went through a week long sleep study in the epilepsy center, hooked up to EEG wires the whole time, it sucked, but things changed for the better. The doctor adjusted my medication and I lived seizure-free for nearly two and a half years! That was really nice. I was then able to focus in school and take a full load of classes, extra classes to make up units, and summer school. I had a full year of units to make up, so basically do high school in 3 years, not 4. I ended up graduating with my peers on time with exactly the amount of credits needed! Relief! I then went to community college after receiving my high school diploma.
Two and a half years my life continued seizure free until March of 2018 when I had another breakthrough seizure. Terrifying! What was once a normal life, turned into turmoil once again, my Epilepsy had become drug resistant. It was another year and a half of many scans, tests, medications, and seizures. Through that entire process, I stayed in college and kept my grades high. I didn't let this stop me. With determination, I graduated from community college with an Associate's Degree in Business Administration with a GPA worthy of San Diego State University Entrepreneurship Program. Even with my epilepsy, I pressed forward.
After multiple tests and scans I received the results that I had been waiting six months for. My neurologist explained that there are two parts of my brain where there was brain tissue misfiring. A cluster of sparks in both my left and right temporal lobe. My doctor explained to me that the bad tissue was taking the good tissue and activating it. As more of my brain was being used by the bad tissue, my seizures happen more often. This is where I learned that brain surgery was my best option and where I am today. The neurosurgeon said that with ablation type brain surgery there is a really good chance of a full cure! Wow! That sounds great to me. Now there is risks associated with any surgery, but with this type of brain surgery it represents it's own risks and they assured me every precaution will be taken into consideration. The larger scale risks are if an area of brain tissue is removed and I lose motor control or feeling of part of my body, or emotions are changed. Also if not totally cured of epilepsy, he said the seizures would be reduced by 40%-70%.
Bottom line I just want it to be better. I understand that if I were not to go through with this surgery now, my odds of a full and healthy recovery lessen the longer I wait. And the longer I wait and continue to have drug resistant seizures, they can become worse and worse over time. I am willing and ready for the surgery, to take the risk and recover now.
In the last year, I have noticed academics becoming more difficult. My memory and thinking are not where they used to be causing this first semester at SDSU to be even more strenuous then it should be. After one of my recent seizures my thinking was foggy for nearly a week, and had to postpone some tests. But once again, through everything, I do not let this stop me. I have found the courage to decide that sometimes the best things in life come after taking risks. I realize that there are no guarantees but I am asking for your support to take a chance on me to live a healthy and full life without Seizures. Allowing me to have the future that I've dreamed and hoped for. A dream where I can actually enjoy sleeping, go out with friends and not be thinking of seizures the whole time, and share a success story that can impact others.
Any support, even just sharing this message would mean the world to me.
Thank you and God Bless!
-Logan Lacher